Meta Fined $1.3 Billion Over Data Transfers to U.S.

Author: Editors Desk Source: WSJ:

May 22, 2023 at 06:39

Meta Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg. PHOTO: YVES HERMAN/REUTERS

Decision places pressure on Washington to implement surveillance changes for Europe to allow Meta to keep the data spigot open

Facebook owner Meta Platforms META -0.49%decrease; red down pointing triangle was fined $1.3 billion by European Union regulators for sending user information to the U.S., a record privacy penalty for the bloc.

The ruling raises pressure on the U.S. government to complete a deal that would allow Meta and thousands of multinational companies to keep sending such information stateside.

Meta’s top privacy regulator in the EU said in its decision Monday that Facebook has for years illegally stored data about European users on its servers in the U.S., where it contends the information could be accessed by American spy agencies without sufficient means for users to appeal.

The 1.2-billion-euro fine surpasses the previous record of €746 million, or $806 million, under the General Data Protection Regulation against Amazon in Luxembourg in 2021 for privacy violations related to its advertising business. The company has appealed that decision in Luxembourg courts.

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